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Paula Creamer (born August 5, 1986) Current Biography Yearbook 2011, p. 128. is an American professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. As a professional, she has won 12 tournaments, including 10 LPGA Tour events. Creamer has been as high as number 2 in the Women's World Golf Rankings. She was the 2010 U.S. Women's Open champion. As of the end of the 2023 season, Creamer was 19th on the all-time LPGA career money list with earnings of $12,161,187.
As an amateur, Creamer won numerous junior golf titles, including 11 American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournaments. Creamer joined the LPGA Tour in the 2005 season, and her victory in that year's Sybase Classic made her the LPGA's second-youngest event winner.
During Creamer's amateur career, she won 19 national tournaments, including 11 American Junior Golf Association events, and was named Player of the Year by the AJGA in 2003. On two occasions (2002 and 2003), Creamer played on the United States team in the Junior Solheim Cup. She was a semi-finalist in the 2003 U.S. Girls' Junior and U.S. Women's Amateur, and reached the same stage of both events the following year. In June 2004, Creamer placed second in the LPGA Tour's ShopRite LPGA Classic, finishing one Stroke play behind Cristie Kerr. Later that year she tied for 13th in the U.S. Women's Open and represented the United States in the Curtis Cup.
In December 2004, Creamer won the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament by five strokes to secure membership on the Tour for the 2005 season. She opted to turn professional immediately after the event at the age of 18.
After her strong first-year performance, Creamer was second behind Sörenstam in the inaugural Women's World Golf Rankings, which were released on February 20, 2006. Her 2006 season, however, was not as successful. She did not win a tournament, and was hampered by wrist and foot injuries during the year. Creamer still managed to earn over $1 million and make the cut in all 27 LPGA tournaments in which she played, compiling 14 top-10 finishes. Her best result of the season was a tie for second at The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions.
In 2007, Creamer rebounded with two LPGA Tour titles. On February 17, she won her third career LPGA title at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, making a 40-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole of the final round to defeat Julieta Granada by one shot. In November, Creamer won The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions, defeating Birdie Kim by eight strokes. She also played in her second Solheim Cup, leading both sides in points earned. Creamer went unbeaten in five matches as the U.S. team retained the cup. For the season, she posted 13 top-10 finishes and earned over $1.3 million, third on the money list.
On July 10 at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, she shot an 11-under 60, just one stroke off of the LPGA Tour record of 59 by Annika Sörenstam. She shot 60-65-70-73 to beat Nicole Castrale by two strokes. Creamer's fourth title of 2008 came in October's Samsung World Championship, where she won by one stroke and became the first American with four or more wins in an LPGA Tour season since Inkster had five tournament victories in 1999. In November of that same year, Creamer teamed with team International to defeat team Asia for the Lexus Cup.
At the LPGA Playoffs at the ADT, the last event of the 2008 season, Creamer was hospitalized with a stomach ailment, which was originally thought to be peritonitis. The ailment continued to affect her in the opening few months of the 2009 season, with doctors unable to make an exact diagnosis. At the 2009 U.S. Women's Open, held at Saucon Valley Country Club, Creamer finished tied for sixth. In her third Solheim Cup, she was 3–1 as the U.S. again won the competition. Creamer finished 10th on the 2009 LPGA money list with earnings of over $1.1 million. Her highest finishes during the season were a pair of second-place results, at the LPGA Corning Classic and Lorena Ochoa Invitational.
Creamer did not win a tournament during the 2011 season, though she did have seven top-five finishes and 10 top-10 finishes. Her highest finishes of the year were a pair of ties for second, at the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup and CME Group Titleholders. Creamer was again selected to the U.S. Solheim Cup team in 2011. She posted victories in three of her first four matches, but lost in the singles to Catriona Matthew by a 6&5 score, as the American team lost to Europe.
Creamer earned over $800,000 and had seven top-10 finishes in the 2012 season, but was again unable to win any events.
During the 2013 season, she made over $800,000 and finished in the top-10 six times. She also appeared in the 2013 Solheim Cup, but lost three of her four matches as the U.S. team lost 18–10.
After a stretch of four straight missed cuts, Creamer fell outside the top 40 in the world rankings by September 2015; she was dealing with the effects of swing and equipment changes. Despite not qualifying on points for the 2015 Solheim Cup team, Creamer was chosen for her sixth appearance in the event as a captain's pick. As part of a U.S. comeback from a 10–6 deficit entering the final session, she contributed the Cup-clinching point with a win in her singles match. For the 2015 season, her earnings were under $400,000, 47th on tour.
Creamer changed swing instructors before the start of the 2016 season. Having worked with David Whelan for 15 years, she began receiving instruction from Gary Gilchrist after Whelan left his position at IMG Academy. At the first LPGA tournament of 2016, Creamer posted a top-five result at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. She tied for fourth place at the JTBC Founders Cup, before going into an extended slump in performance in which she missed the cut seven times. Her 2016 LPGA Tour earnings fell under $300,000, outside the top 60.
In 2018, Creamer fell outside the top 100 in earnings, making about $71,000. Her highest finish of the season was 12th place at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, the last event in which she played. The following season, she improved to 91st on the money list with approximately $145,000 in earnings. Creamer had two top-10 results in 2019, with a tie for sixth at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational her best finish. After skipping the entire 2020 season to heal wrist and thumb injuries, Creamer returned to play some events in 2021, making one cut in seven tournaments she competed in. She then took a break from tournament play for over a year due to maternity leave, returning in mid-2022. In her five tournaments played that year, she made two cuts.
Creamer played in 13 tournaments in 2023, missing the cut in all but two of them. As of the end of the 2023 season, Creamer was 19th on the all-time LPGA career money list with earnings of $12,161,187. In 2024, she served as an assistant captain on the victorious U.S. Solheim Cup team.
Due to her fondness for wearing pink, Creamer's friend Casey Wittenberg nicknamed her the "Pink Panther." The sobriquet followed her when she turned pro. In addition to her pink outfits, Creamer sports the color on several of her golf accessories, including her club grips and golf bag. Creamer also uses a Pink Panther club head cover, in a nod to her nickname. From 2006 to 2009, she used a pink golf ball, provided by Precept Golf, during the last round of some tournaments.
Creamer has endorsement deals with companies including TaylorMade-Adidas, Citizen Watch Co., Ricoh, and Bridgestone Golf. Forbes estimated her 2013 endorsement income to be $4.5 million, and her total income placed her among the 10 highest-earning female athletes that year. Her likeness has been featured in EA Sports' Tiger Woods PGA Tour series of golf video games.
Since 2005 Creamer has done charitable work for The First Tee, an organization that benefits junior golfers. She hosts the Paula 4 Kids Celebrity Event, an annual outing that raises money for The First Tee of Sarasota/Manatee. In addition, Creamer has appeared at youth golf clinics and donated scholarships to IMG Academy. She also has a foundation that aids junior golfers and military families.
On December 16, 2013, Creamer announced her engagement to Derek Heath, a United Airlines pilot and United States Air Force veteran. The couple were married in 2014. On March 11, 2018, Creamer told Golfweek that she and Heath were "no longer together." As of 2021, she is engaged to former baseball player Shane Kennedy. She gave birth to her first child on January 7, 2022.
LPGA Tour playoff record (2–2)
LA = Low amateur
Professional
Playing style
Creamer's drives are relatively short; her 2012 average driving distance of about 245 yards ranked 193rd on the LPGA Tour. Former player Beth Daniel has said of Creamer that her short hitting is "stopping her from being a dominating player". However, she is considered an accurate ball-striker. Creamer ranked outside the top 100 in putts per round in 2012, and Golf World magazine's Ryan Herrington described her putting as "sometimes balky". While she was the LPGA leader in greens in regulation in 2009 and was regularly high in the tour rankings for the statistic early in her career, by 2014 she fell to 51st.
Personal life
Creamer graduated from the IMG Academy the week after her first LPGA victory in 2005. She moved to Isleworth in Windermere, Florida, in 2007.
Professional wins (12)
LPGA Tour (10)
LPGA Tour major championships (1) Other LPGA Tour (9) 1 May 22, 2005 Sybase Classic 69-68-71-70=278 −6 1 stroke Jeong Jang
Gloria Park187,500 2 Jul 23, 2005 Evian Masters 68-68-66-71=273 −15 8 strokes Lorena Ochoa
Michelle Wie375,000 3 Feb 17, 2007 SBS Open at Turtle Bay 67-70-70=207 −9 1 stroke Julieta Granada 165,000 4 Nov 11, 2007 The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions 67-65-68-68=268 −20 8 strokes Birdie Kim 150,000 5 Feb 23, 2008 Fields Open in Hawaii 66-68-66=200 −16 1 stroke Jeong Jang 195,000 6 May 4, 2008 SemGroup Championship 70-71-69-72=282 −2 Playoff Juli Inkster 270,000 7 Jul 13, 2008 Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic 60-65-70-73=268 −16 2 strokes Nicole Castrale 195,000 8 Oct 5, 2008 Samsung World Championship 68-74-68-69=279 −9 1 stroke Song-Hee Kim 250,000 9 Jul 11, 2010 U.S. Women's Open 72-70-70-69=281 −3 4 strokes Na Yeon Choi
Suzann Pettersen585,000 10 Mar 2, 2014 HSBC Women's Champions 67-73-69-69=278 −10 Playoff Azahara Muñoz 210,000 1 2008 Stanford International Pro-Am Annika Sörenstam Lost to par on first extra hole 2 2008 SemGroup Championship Juli Inkster Won with birdie on second extra hole 3 2012 Kingsmill Championship Jiyai Shin Lost to par on ninth extra hole 4 2014 HSBC Women's Champions Azahara Muñoz Won with eagle on second extra hole
LPGA of Japan Tour (2)
Major championships
Wins (1)
Na Yeon Choi, Suzann Pettersen
Results timeline
Results not in chronological order before 2018.
ANA Inspiration T45 T19 T24 T15 T21 T17 T19 T20 U.S. Women's Open CUT T13TLA T19 T16 T16 T6 T6 1 T15 T7 Women's PGA Championship T3 T49 T6 T10 T16 T42 T3 T9 Women's British Open T15 T22 T7 T9 T3 T21 T43 3 ANA Inspiration T13 T34 T35 T36 T47 T64 U.S. Women's Open T4 T15 T42 T59 CUT CUT CUT Women's PGA Championship T58 CUT T34 CUT T72 T55 CUT The Evian Championship ^ T19 7 CUT T55 WD T54 T55 NT Women's British Open T11 T21 CUT CUT T16 CUT
^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013
ANA Inspiration U.S. Women's Open CUT Women's PGA Championship The Evian Championship CUT Women's British Open
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
NT = no tournament
T = tied
Summary
14 13 12 5 11
LPGA Tour career summary
Official as of 2024 season2003 3 2 0 0 0 0 T67 n/a n/a 74.80 n/a 2004 7 7 0 1 0 1 T2 n/a n/a 71.42 n/a 2005 25 24 2 4 2 11 1 1,531,780 2 70.98 3 2006 27 27 0 1 2 14 T2 1,076,163 11 70.62 6 2007 24 22 2 2 2 13 1 1,384,798 3 70.50 2 2008 26 26 4 1 2 15 1 1,823,992 2 70.56 3 2009 21 20 0 2 4 10 2 1,151,864 9 70.62 10 2010 14 10 1 0 0 4 1 883,870 10 71.00 10 2011 21 21 0 2 2 10 T2 926,338 9 70.84 5 2012 23 23 0 1 1 7 2 815,574 15 70.95 11 2013 23 23 0 1 1 6 2 831,918 11 70.80 14 2014 23 21 1 0 2 4 1 702,691 22 71.38 27 2015 25 19 0 0 0 4 T5 363,485 47 71.69 42 2016 24 17 0 0 0 3 T4 281,174 66 71.57 47 2017 19 10 0 0 0 1 T7 141,428 89 71.87 83 2018 17 9 0 0 0 0 12 71,185 113 72.08 87 2019 22 10 0 0 0 2 T6 145,472 91 72.60 129 2020 Did not play 2021 7 1 0 0 0 0 T70 3,018 186 73.50 n/a 2022 5 2 0 0 0 0 T29 17,679 175 72.29 n/a 2023 13 2 0 0 0 0 T54 8,668 185 73.71 159 2024 8 0 0 0 0 0 MC 0 n/a 74.13 n/a
* Includes matchplay and other tournaments without a cut.
World ranking
Position in Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each calendar year.
Team appearances
Amateur
Solheim Cup record
Career 31 17–9–5 5–2–0 7–4–3 5–3–2 19.5 62.9 2005 5 3–1–1 1–0–0 def. Laura Davies 7&5 1–0–1 halved w/ Beth Daniel,
won w/ Juli Inkster 3&21–1–0 lost w/ J. Inkster 4&3,
won w/ Cristie Kerr 1 up3.5 70 2007 5 2–0–3 1–0–0 def. Maria Hjorth 2&1 1–0–1 won w/ J. Inkster 2&1,
halved w/ J. Inkster0–0–2 halved w/ Morgan Pressel,
halved w/ B. Lincicome3.5 70 2009 4 3–1–0 1–0–0 def. Suzann Pettersen 3&2 1–1–0 won w/ J. Inkster 2&1,
lost w/ J. Inkster 4&31–0–0 won w/ C. Kerr 1 up 3 75 2011 5 3–1–1 0–1–0 lost to Catriona Matthew 6&5 1–0–1 won w/ B. Lincicome 1 up,
halved w/ C. Kerr2–0–0 won w/ M. Pressel 1 up,
won w/ B. Lincicome 3&13.5 70 2013 4 1–3–0 0–1–0 lost to Charley Hull 5&4 1–1–0 lost w/ C. Kerr 2&1,
won w/ Stacy Lewis 1 up0–1–0 lost w/ Lexi Thompson 2 dn 1 25 2015 4 2–2–0 1–0–0 def. Sandra Gal 4&3 1–1–0 won w/ M. Pressel 3&2,
lost w/ M. Pressel 1 dn0–1–0 lost w/ M. Pressel 4&3 2 50 2017 4 3–1–0 1–0–0 def. Georgia Hall 1 up 1–1–0 lost w/ Austin Ernst 3&1,
won w/ A. Ernst 5&31–0–0 won w/ A. Ernst 2&1 3 75
Awards
See also
Sources
External links
Categories: American Female Golfers, Lpga Tour Golfers, Winners Of Lpga Major Golf Championships, Solheim Cup Competitors For The United States, Golfers From Santa Clara County, California, Sportspeople From Mountain View, California, Sportspeople From Pleasanton, California, Sportspeople From Windermere, Florida, Golfers From Orange County, Florida, Golfers From Bradenton, Florida, 1986 Births, Living People, 21st-century American Women
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